ILOILO CITY – One-hundred twenty-seven policemen in Western Visayas region have been transferred as family or relatives are candidates in the May 2025 elections.
WANKY (Tara Yap)
Police Regional Office-6 chief Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky cited the reason for the movement. “This is to avoid conflict of interest,” said Wanky.
The Police Regional Office-6 started implementing the transfer of assignments following the Oct. 8 filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COCs).
The transfer covers policemen who have relatives up to fourth degree of consanguinity in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
Wanky said lawmen who did not declare family members or relatives as candidates will face administrative sanctions.
Meanwhile, Wanky said there are several politicians who have requested the assignment of certain lawmen to their localities.
Wanky rejected their request.
“We cannot discount possibility that these accommodated personnel for reassignment through the intervention of political candidates will be biased during the election considering the ‘utang na loob’ (debt of gratitude) as being a culture among Filipinos,” said Wanky.
Wanky is banking on the localization program of the Philippine National Police (PNP). So far, 194 out of 873 policemen who want to be assigned to their hometowns or near their place of residence has been approved by PRO-6.